Fatah: Israeli “searches for the remains of their [Jewish] alleged Temple herald[s] the impending collapse of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Western Wall is Islamic

Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida
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Oct. 25, 2016

Headline: "The Jerusalem branch [of Fatah] warns of the impending collapse of the Al-Aqsa Mosque"
"The Jerusalem branch of the Fatah Movement noted that 2,495 settlers have invaded the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque since the beginning of this month [October 2016]. It said that the rate of the settlers' invasions of the Al-Aqsa Mosque have increased since the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO] resolution, which considers the Al-Buraq Wall (i.e., the Western Wall) an Islamic heritage [site] to which Jews have no connection.

Secretary of Fatah in Jerusalem Adnan Ghaith warned of the severity of the statements made by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, according to which he will personally participate in excavations taking place under the Al-Aqsa Mosque…

He added: 'The decision of the occupation government’s [Israel] Antiquities Authority, according to which before their [army] enlistment every Jewish youth must participate in the excavations under the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is considered a national obligation, in addition to the participation of settlement non-profit organizations in the excavations and searches for the remains of their alleged Temple, heralds the impending collapse of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the buildings adjacent to it, God forbid’…

The Fatah Movement held the Israeli occupation responsible for the consequences of these acts, which have crossed every line of provoking the sensibilities of Muslims worldwide."lThe PA and its leaders consider all of the Temple Mount an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Therefore they view any presence of Jews on the mount as an “invasion.” It should be noted that Jews who visit the Temple Mount only enter some sections of the open areas, and do not enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Oct. 19, 2016, in the wake of UNESCO’s resolution erasing the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, that his government would help fund the Temple Mount Sifting Project of the Ir David Foundation. The project works to recover archaeological artifacts from approximately 400 truckloads of soil removed from the Temple Mount by the Jordanian Waqf without supervision in 1999, as part of its illegal construction of the El-Marwani Mosque in the Solomon’s Stables area of the Temple Mount.

UNESCO passed a resolution in Paris on “Occupied Palestine” on Oct. 13, 2016, with 24 countries voting in favor, 6 against, and 24 abstentions. The resolution was later approved by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee on Oct. 26, 2016, in a secret ballot in which ten countries voted in favor of the resolution, two opposed, eight abstained, and one country, Jamaica, was absent.

In the resolution UNESCO refers to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, only as “Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif,” and presents it only as a “Muslim holy site.” The resolution condemns “escalating Israeli aggressions” and Israeli “violations” at the site, and calls on Israel “to respect the integrity, authenticity and cultural heritage of Al-Aqṣa Mosque/Al-Ḥaram Al-Sharif… as a Muslim holy site of worship.” The resolution likewise refers to the Western Wall Plaza as the “Al-Buraq Plaza ‘Western Wall Plaza,’” adding quotation marks to the Jewish name for the site.

The resolution was submitted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, and Sudan.